It pays to know your DEC from your EPC

Understanding the meaning of energy industry abbreviations like DEC and EPC could save your business money.

EPC needs your attention

All industries have their own jargon but failing to know it doesn’t usually hit their customers in the pocket. In energy, however, businesses could be fined if they don’t know the rules behind some abbreviations.

There are financial penalties for non-compliance with EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive) requirements such as commercial energy performance certificates (EPC) and display energy certificates (DEC), for example.

If you’re selling or renting out business premises in England and Wales, you need an EPC. These energy performance certifications rate how energy efficient your commercial building is from A to G.

The fines for failing to make an EPC available to a prospective buyer or tenant range from £500 to £5,000, based on a fixed penalty of, in most cases, 12.5 per cent of the rateable value of the building. There’s a default penalty of £750 where the formula cannot be applied.

A further penalty fixed at £200 can also be issued for failure to provide a copy of the EPC when requested within seven days.

DEC the halls

For owners of public buildings, another need-to-know abbreviation is DEC or display energy certificates, which came into force from 9 July 2015. They were created to raise public awareness of energy use in buildings ‘occupied by a public authority’.

The certificates provide an energy rating from A (very efficient, low CO2 emissions) to G (least efficient, high CO2 emissions) based on energy consumption over a 12-month period of meter readings.

A DEC has to be no smaller than A3 in size and clearly displayed in any frequently visited public building with a total useful floor area exceeding 250m2.

If you fail to display a DEC at all times in a prominent place that the public can clearly see you could be fined £500, while failing to possess or have in your control a valid advisory report could cost you £1,000.

Get your DEC or EPC … PDQ

EPC/DEC compliance is often criticised for being poorly policed but if you don’t want your business to be made an example of, compliance is easy and simpler with the right support.

Only an accredited energy assessor like one of our team at Utilitywise can produce a DEC and advisory report for public buildings or an EPC together with a recommendation report (RR) for commercial properties.

If you’re a public sector organisation, our DEC assessors will review the energy consumed to see if it’s in line with approved methodology and visit your site to calculate the operational rating and produce a DEC and advisory report (AR).

For commercial properties, our EPC assessors will survey your site and gather data, create a 3D model and data, generate an EPC and a RR, lodge your EPC with our accreditation body and official Landmark government database and deliver the certificate in an agreed format.